The Flame Within the Ice
by OutlawedAngel
Summary: Three girls fight for their survival in more ways than one... To find treasures to free the people they hold close... Title may change. Rated T for mild violence and mild coarse language
1. Chapter 1

A lone fighter trudged across the barren and lifeless valley. She didn't care where she was headed... the only thing that was on her mind was... water. "_Why the hell did I set off without water?" _She snarled to herself and then coughed at the strain it put on her throat. Tumbleweed bounced along in to the distance.

After an hour or so of aimless walking, she spotted something in the distance. She squinted at the large shadow. Her eyes lit up when she realised what it was. A house. She stumbled over to the porch and collapsed. Feeling the cool wooden boards underneath, it took a while for her to realise, _Oh great! _She thought, _now I have sand all through my mouth..._

Then, she lost consciousness.

A man appeared in the doorway and after catching sight of the teenage girl, passed out on his front porch, wore a mask of shock on his weathered face. He gently grasped the girl under her upper arms and dragged her slowly in to his house. The wooden floorboards inside the house were even cooler than the ones on the porch.

After repeatedly splashing her face with water, she finally woke up with a start and jolted upright. Coughing, she spat all the excess sand out from her mouth that had managed to stick to her teeth. The old man chuckled and passed her the water which she snatched at annoyed because of his laughing.

She gulped down the water in under half a minute and when she was finished, threw it against the wall for no reason other than she was pissed. Who wouldn't be? She was alone, in a desert, half dead and with a strange old man too! She turned to the old man and snarled, "Who are you?" The man grinned mischievously and said innocently, "I am an old man who doesn't make much money."

The girl growled, "I meant your real name. Not some crap that you make up on the spot." The old man just walked off but not before he asked her, "What is your name then, young one?" She snarled like an animalistic killer but answered, "My name is Hikari Tsume. I am fifteen years old."

The man nodded, "I will make you one meal. Then you leave." He snapped at her. Hikari was going to retort but bit it back when she noticed the uncomfortable expression on the old geezers face. Her eyes slipped over the man's worn and frail body. His shoulders were hunched and it seemed like his thin legs would snap in half at any given moment.

"Is there anything you would like me to do for you?" Hikari offered. The man stopped, "Take out the trash. Bury it in the sand outside." _This can't be too hard... _Thought Hikari as she loped outside... and ran straight in to a tall and wide bag of garbage. Her face dropped slightly and she turned when she heard the man behind her, "Let's see you do this girly."

Hikari ignored him and held her hands out in front of her while murmuring a little chant. There was a bright light and suddenly attached to her wrists were blades in the shape of claws. She started digging.

The man had a look out the window. He started to growl to himself when he couldn't see Hikari anywhere. _The little tramp! _He thought as he trudged outside. He walked over to the bag of garbage and kicked it. He looked around it and was surprised to see that there was a giant hole in the ground. He could hear some scraping sounds coming from the bottom. He frowned and gave the garbage bag another kick. This time however, it moved slightly, tilted towards the hole and fell. The old man ran as fast as his short legs could carry him and cried, "Watch out!" Nobody answered him. He winced slightly as he heard the bag hit the bottom with a thud.

He panicked and climbed down in to the hole, only to be grabbed from behind and pushed back out on to the sand. There was Hikari, with not a scratch in sight, "What'd you do that for?" she frowned, "I have to bury that you know!" The old man was shocked. Hikari sighed, "Just go back inside," she said, "It's getting dark."

She turned away from him as he got up and dusted himself off and watched her as she started to fill the hole back with all the sand she removed previously. The old man returned to the house and re-attended to the stew he had left on the stove. When she finished, Hikari decided to dig herself a sheltered hole.

As she finished digging her hole, the old man called out to her, "Stews on the table girly!" She grinned as she clambered out of her hole and sauntered towards the house. Walking through the front door, she turned and smiled warmly at the old man, "Arigato rōjin rōjin!" A vein popped in the old man's head and he snarled, "Rōjin...Rōjin?" Hikari snarled back with equal force, "Since you never did tell me your name!"

The old man sighed and his shoulders deflated in defeat and he said, "My name is Honoo no Yujin." Hikari pondered for a few minutes and said quietly, "That means Flames friend, doesn't it?" The man snorted, "So what? What does yours mean?" Hikari ignored the man's blatantly rude attitude and devoured her simple beef stew.

When she was finished she responded to his questions, "So what you ask. So, the meaning of a person's name is an insight to what their personality is or was. My name means Light Claws. I was named after my mother whose name was Hikari Kosen meaning Light Ray and my grandmother whose name was Tsume no Ikari, meaning Claws Rage."

The man shrugged and turned away. Hikari stood and shook herself, "Well. I best be going now." The man raised a hand before she turned to leave and hurried in to the kitchen. He pulled out a flask full of water and a backpack full of food. He came back in to the room and handed them to her, "Take these with you."

She nodded and then left the house. The road ahead, would be long and dusty.


	2. Chapter 2

Hikari cursed and skidded across the rocky ground. The sharp protruding rocks slashed at her skin. _For once I wish I had landed in the sand, _Hikari thought as she was battered mercilessly. The girl stepped closer and raised her blade, "Fallen, be at rest." Hikari blocked the attack with one of her claws and snarled, "In your dreams sweet cheeks." She propelled her other fist at the girls face. It sliced through her cheek on contact and spurted blood that splashed on to the ground.

The girl ignored it and twisted Hikari's claws backwards. Hikari gritted her teeth and set her jaw against the jarring pain. She kicked out to the side and swung her leg so it connected with the other girl's neck joined her shoulder. The girl howled in pain but it didn't stop her from snatching at and latching on to Hikari's ankle as she pulled back.

In the distance, a wolf howled mournfully. The girl let go and re-sheathed her weapon, "My brothers are calling." She said faintly. Then she turned back to where Hikari was coughing in the sand and rocks, "We will finish this fight another day." Hikari growled, "Just a minute. Who are you and why did you attack me so suddenly?"

Looking directly in to Hikari's eyes , "My name is Sendo Dageki. And I cannot allow another rival on these barren plains, as it means my family will loose power." Hikari started back dumbfounded. She just watched as Sendo melted in to the darkness.

Hikari pushed herself to stand and dusted her clothes. Checking herself over, she was pleased to discover there were no broken bones or any serious injuries. Just a few scratches and bruises. _Nothing much to worry about_, she thought, _on the other hand… That Sendo is a bit of a nut._

As if they could read her thoughts, a chorus of anguished howls rose in to the night air. Hikari shivered deeply and continued on her path.

**At Honoo No Yujin's House**

The old man relaxed back in to his worn dilapidated sofa, "I wonder how girly's doing." He yawned. He lapsed in to an easy sleep only to be awoken by a chilling howl. He jolted upright and listened carefully. Snarling and growling could be heard just outside his door. Honoo reached for his shot gun and waited.

A lean blade slashed through the oak wood of the door. The geezer aimed the barrel of the gun at the door. His grip was limited because of the immense shaking of his whole body. A large brown wolf broke through the door with ease and quickly glanced around.

Honoo hid behind the sofa and thought quickly, _That thing will eventually sniff me out here so there's no point really in hiding… _He then spotted an indented hole in the wall, made by Hikari.

He squirmed for a little bit and popped outside. He then headed towards the hole that Hikari had dug and lowered himself inside. Covering himself with sand so his scent would be disguised if what slightly. Waiting there patiently, Honoo listened quietly as the wolves communicated with each other and then abandoned their search as it came up ineffective.

Listening intently as the wolves padded away, he was surprised to hear a heavy footfall of boots on the sand alongside them. _Is it that girl, Hikari? _Honoo thought, _Or someone else? _He wasn't brave enough to dare a peek out from the hole. A few more minutes after the sounds faded away the old man dug his way out of the sand and heaved himself up.

Sitting, exhausted, on the warm sand, Honoo looked up and shielded his eyes from the harsh desert sun that was rising beyond the distant rocky horizon. _I hope that wasn't Hikari that was with them._


End file.
